Darth Vader
'''Darth Vader', formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, is a recurring antagonist in Kingdom Hearts III. A powerful Dark Lord of the Sith, Vader serves Emperor Palpatine as Supreme Commander of the Galactic Empire and takes part in his master's plan to kidnap and brainwash Keyblade wielders in order to surpass Master Xehanort. Vader is one of several characters in the Kingdom Hearts universe (all originating from Star Wars) who can manipulate the mysterious energy known as "the Force", which is neither light nor darkness but has a light side and a dark side, and is closely aligned with genuine light and darkness. Vader is voiced by Matthew Sloan in the English version of KHIII and Toru Ohira (who also voices Pete) in the Japanese version. Due to the frequent interactions between the two characters, Ohira uses drastically different inflections and speech patterns for Vader and for Pete. Appearance Vader is a very tall armored human cyborg. He is dressed completely in black, with a metallic black helmet and mask that completely conceal his head along with a long black cape and cloak. On his shoulders, he wears a heavy silver-and-black piece of armor. He has a mechanical control panel on his chest and more control arrays on his belt, and wears a pair of tall black armored boots. His mask amplifies his constant breathing, producing an eerie effect. Vader's armor acts as a life-support system, and all four of his limbs are mechanical. Upon sacrificing himself to save Luke, Vader's facial features are seen after Luke takes Vader's mask off. Vader has blue eyes, and is completely bald and scarred. Story First Encounter Vader first appears before Sora in Radiant Garden, emerging from his shuttle with a squad of Stormtroopers.He states his ongoing plan to help himself and the Emperor conquer all worlds by using the threat of a world-destroying weapon to force the universe's other inhabitants into subservience to his Empire, which had already partly come into play when Sora and Riku were in the Realm of Sleep. Sora, enraged and scared, cockily tries to strike the villain down, but Vader easily blows Sora back with a Force Push. Sora tries to retaliate, but Leon holds him back, saying that Vader is too powerful to face before learning more about him. Vader takes an interest in Sora's Keyblade, and decides to learn more about it himself before leaving for his shuttle. Seeking the Keyblade Vader is later seen returning to his personal Star Destroyer ship, communicating with Palpatine via hologram. Palpatine, also apparently taking an interest in the Keyblade, orders Lord Vader to find out how the Keyblade could be of use to the Empire, and Vader complies. Vader later has the Empire's top scientists decipher the properties of the keyblade. He finds out that only those chosen by the Keyblade can wield it (and must have strong hearts), but that it can be used by wielders of light and darkness alike. In addition, when an experienced Keyblade wielder taps into its full potential, the wielder has the power to create and destroy worlds. Vader, realizing that the most powerful living Keybearer poses a genuine threat to Palpatine's conquest, therefore decides to kidnap and brainwash Keybearers to serve him and the Emperor. He contacts his right-hand man, bounty hunter Boba Fett, to help him. Fett is able to track down two Keybearers, and Vader's plan starts falling into place. The Dark Lord then begins his plan to occupy Radiant Garden. Kidnapping Riku Later, in Radiant Garden, Riku and his apprentice Kairi have been invited by Cid to a very important meeting about stopping Xehanort's new Organization. However, upon arriving at Cid's house, Riku and Kairi find themselves face-to-face with Vader and Fett, along with Cid, who says that he had "no choice". Vader tries to tempt Riku and Kairi to embrace the Dark Side to fight for him voluntarily and help take down Master Xehanort. Infuriated, Riku tries to strike Vader down with his Way to the Dawn, exclaiming that he vowed never to give in to the darkness again, but Vader uses the Force to pry the weapon from Riku's hand. Although the Keyblade tries to find its way back to Riku, Vader uses the Force to subdue it and strangle Riku unconscious. Kairi then tries to strike back and avenge her friend, but Vader pushes her away telekinetically. Sensing that Kairi has no darkness in her heart, Vader just leaves her alone, finding no use for her, and takes Riku's unconscious body back to his ship. Powers and abilities Vader is one of the most powerful world-specific villains Sora and his friends have ever encountered, although a few others such as Palpatine are more powerful than him. He wields a lightsaber (a weapon similar to Xemnas' Ethereal Blades) and possesses immense physical strength and telekinetic abilities aided by the Force. However, he is highly vulnerable to lightning attacks due to his cybernetics. It is heavily implied that, being the Force's Chosen One, Vader would have been able to wield the Keyblade before having his heart shattered and put into permanent disarray upon becoming a Sith Lord. Battle Vader appears as a recurring boss, with all battles occurring in The Death Star. The second battle with him is not a traditional fight but rather a space battle, with Sora using his Gummi Ship to take down Vader's TIE Fighter with the help of the Rebel Alliance's X-Wings. The third and final fight with the Dark Lord takes place in the Death Star's throne room, where he is fought alongside Emperor Palpatine (and is the first battle in the game where Riku is playable). "Tension Rising" plays during the first battle with Vader, "Extreme Encounters" plays during the battle with his TIE Fighter, and "Destiny's Force" plays during the last battle with Palpatine. Trivia * Darth Vader is to appear as a secret boss in [http://kingdomheartsfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Kingdom_Hearts:_Superhero_Keyblade_Taisen ''Superhero Keyblade Wars], like Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2. Category: Bosses Category: Characters Category: Villains